Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer. At the age of 23 he joined Mel Tormé's Mel-Tones, singing on Artie Shaw records such as "What Is This Thing Called Love?".
Baxter then turned to arranging and conducting for Capitol Records in 1950, and was credited with the early Nat King Cole hits, "Mona Lisa" and "Too Young", but both were actually orchestrated by Nelson Riddle.[1] (In later releases of the recordings the credit was corrected to Riddle.[citation needed]) Not a uncommon practice these days: Baxter himself had arranged Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" in 1947 for a recording conducted by Frank De Vol. In 1953 he scored his first film, the sailing travelogue Tanga Tika. With his own orchestra, he released a number of hits including "Ruby" (1953), "Unchained Melody" (1955) and "The Poor People Of Paris" (1956). The latter recording sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[2]He also achieved success with concept albums of his own orchestral suites: Le Sacre Du Sauvage, Festival Of The Gnomes, Ports Of Pleasure, and Brazil Now, the first three for Capitol and the fourth on Gene Norman's Crescendo label. The list of musicians on these recordings includes Plas Johnson and Clare Fischer.
Baxter also wrote the "Whistle" theme from the TV show Lassie.
Baxter did not restrict his activities to recording. As he once told Soundtrack! magazine, "I never turn anything down".
In the 1960s, he formed the Balladeers, a besuited and conservative folk group that at one time featured a young David Crosby.[citation needed] He operated in radio as musical director of The Halls of Ivy and the Bob Hope and Abbott and Costello shows.
Like his counterparts Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin and James Horner, Baxter later worked for the film industries from 1960s to 70s. He worked on movie soundtracks for American International Pictures where he composed and conducted scores for Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films and other horror stories and teenage musicals, including The Pit and the Pendulum, Panic in Year Zero!, Beach Party, The Comedy of Terrors,The Dunwich Horror, and Frogs. Howard W. Koch recalled that Baxter composed, orchestrated, and recorded the entire score of The Yellow Tomahawk (1954) in a total of three hours for $5,000.[3]
With less soundtrack work in the 1980s, he scored music for theme parks and SeaWorlds. In the 1990s, Baxter was widely celebrated, alongside Martin Denny and the Arthur Lyman Group, as one of the progenitors of what had become known as the "exotica" movement. In his 1996 appreciation for Wired magazine, writer David Toop remembered Baxter thus:
"Baxter offered package tours in sound, selling tickets to sedentary tourists who wanted to stroll around some taboo emotions before lunch, view a pagan ceremony, go wild in the sun or conjure a demon, all without leaving home hi-fi comforts in the white suburbs".
Baxter has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6314 Hollywood Blvd.
The Nearness of You
Les Baxter and His Orchestra Lyrics
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That thrills and delights me, oh no
Its just the nearness of you
It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation, oh no
Its just the nearness of you
All my wildest dreams come true
I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
The lyrics to Les Baxter and His Orchestra's song "The Nearness of You" convey a deeply intimate and emotional connection between the singer and their loved one. The opening lines, "It's not the pale moon that excites me, That thrills and delights me, oh no, It's just the nearness of you," suggest that the physical presence and closeness of the loved one are what truly stirs the singer's emotions. The moon is often associated with romance and beauty, but here, it is overshadowed by the simple proximity of the person they care about.
The second verse continues to emphasize the power of physical closeness, with the singer expressing that it is not the sweet conversation of their loved one that evokes such strong feelings, but rather, it is just being near them that creates a profound sensation. This emphasizes the idea that sometimes words can fail to capture the depth of emotion and connection that can be felt through physical proximity and presence.
The chorus of the song highlights the transformative power of being close to the loved one, with the singer declaring that when they are in their arms and feeling them so close, all their wildest dreams come true. This speaks to the idea that true fulfillment and happiness can be found in the presence of the people we love, and that their nearness has the ability to bring about a sense of completeness and contentment.
The final verse further drives home the central theme of the song, with the singer stating that they need no soft lights or external enchantments as long as they have the right to hold their loved one tightly and feel their nearness in the night. This verse captures the essence of a deep, intimate connection that transcends external stimuli and relies solely on the emotional and physical closeness between two people. Overall, the lyrics of "The Nearness of You" beautifully capture the power of physical proximity and the transformative effect it can have on our emotions and experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Its not the pale moon that excites me
The extraordinary beauty of the night sky does not move me in the same way
That thrills and delights me, oh no
It doesn't bring me the same joy and excitement
Its just the nearness of you
It is simply being close to you that fills me with happiness
It isn't your sweet conversation
Our conversations, no matter how pleasant, do not have the same effect on me
That brings this sensation, oh no
It doesn't create this overwhelming feeling within me
Its just the nearness of you
Again, it is only being near you that stirs these emotions within me
When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me
When I hold you close and feel your presence deeply
All my wildest dreams come true
All my deepest desires and fantasies are fulfilled
I need no soft lights to enchant me
I don't need any additional romantic gestures to be captivated
If you'll only grant me the right
If you would just allow me the privilege
To hold you ever so tight
To embrace you closely and securely
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
And to experience the warmth and closeness of being with you in the darkness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind